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Rawal Kabob, Pakistani in Chantilly - Possibly Also in Clinton and Largo


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I searched and couldn't find a thread for this place which is a shame because I think they may have some of the best Kabob's in the area.

My office goes here all the time and they do a brisk carry-out business. I've been going here for years and I don't think I've ever had a bad meal here. It's one of those places where you walk down the hall and say "Anyone want lunch?" and people demure saying that they have leftovers from home. You come back down the hall and you say "Anyone want Kabobs?" and their leftovers go back in the fridge.

I'd like to say that I have explored a lot of the menu but I have not. I either get the lamb kabob or the Rawal kabob special (a skewer of chicken and a skewer of seekh kabob). All meals are served with nan, rice, salad and vegetables. I always get the channa masala which is always excellent here.

This shopping center really is a culinary mecca. Picante, Minerva, Thai Basil (when it is good, which hasn't been recently) and Rawal Kabob. All in a low rent out of the way strip mall.

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I searched and couldn't find a thread for this place which is a shame because I think they may have some of the best Kabob's in the area.

Interestingly, the owner's statement on their website says, "I bought RAWAL KABOB HOUSE from Mr. Hazi Afzal (Owner RAVI KABOB HOUSE) back in 2003 and keep the same menus and recipes. I just add some new items and flavors time to time."

There was (or perhaps still is) a second Rawal Kabob in Bailey's Crossroads. The three marquis "weekend specials" are exactly the same as they are at Ravi Kabob: Haleem. Nahari, and Paya (coincidentally, I had all three of these last weekend at Racistvi Kabob I). So this is Pakistani all the way, despite the website saying "South East Asian" which seems (in and of itself) to imply Malaysian or Indonesian.

And how's your action-packed, thrill-a-minute Friday night going?

Cheers,

Rocks.

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Interestingly, the owner's statement on their website says, "I bought RAWAL KABOB HOUSE from Mr. Hazi Afzal (Owner RAVI KABOB HOUSE) back in 2003 and keep the same menus and recipes. I just add some new items and flavors time to time."

There was (or perhaps still is) a second Rawal Kabob in Bailey's Crossroads. The three marquis "weekend specials" are exactly the same as they are at Ravi Kabob: Haleem. Nahari, and Paya (coincidentally, I had all three of these last weekend at Racistvi Kabob I). So this is Pakistani all the way, despite the website saying "South East Asian" which seems (in and of itself) to imply Malaysian or Indonesian.

And how's your action-packed, thrill-a-minute Friday night going?

Cheers,

Rocks.

I had a Mutton Biryani ($9.99) for lunch here today, and I'm still not sure whether it was mutton (which is the meat of an adult sheep) or goat. An absolutely huge portion, overstuffed into one of these styrofoam containers, with a little plastic tub of what I'm going to term Pakistani Pale Green Sauce (anyone have a name for this? coriander raita, maybe?), and a token, throwaway mini-salad of shredded lettuce wedged into a corner. If the handwritten sign hadn't said "mutton," I would have naturally assumed this was goat (and indeed, the receipt says "Goat Biryani"), but since I can count the number of times I've had mutton on one hand, I'm not positive. Regardless, it was a massive amount of food - easily enough for two hungry adults - and really nicely spiced with cardamom, maybe some clove, even a hint of ginger from time to time.

Regarding the "second" Rawal Kabob in Bailey's Crossroads, that location is now Z Kabob. The really weird thing is that their websites are entangled, and half the signs inside Rawal Kabob say www.zkabob.com in small typeface at the bottom (whereas the other half say www.rawalkabob.com). There clearly was, and perhaps still is, a relationship between the two restaurants.

I asked if the mutton was Halal meat, and was told yes. A fountain soda was $1.89. This place serves a lot of food for the money, and my dish today was worth a repeat; my biggest knock was that the restroom could have been in a bit better condition, but I also hit them after lunch rush so not a big deal.

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I'm pretty sure this place has changed hands in the last year. There are different people behind the counter and they stopped accepting their Entertainment Coupons. That said, the lamb kabobs have still held up and the place is still in my office's rotation.

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It looks like there's still an identity crisis between Rawal Kabob and Z Kabob. The location in Bailey's Crossroads is called Z Kabob, However, Z Kabob's website implies that there are four locations total between the two businesses (Bailey's Crossroads, Chantilly, Largo, and Clinton). This means that at least one of them has multiple locations, but I don't know which one (and don't really care enough to go digging). If anyone knows anything, please send me a line. 

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